Iran arms embargo should be lifted: Russia

Moscow wants arms embargo on Tehran lifted as soon as possible, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday, adding that no insurmountable problems are left in the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers.

"We state that arms embargo against Iran should be, in fact, lifted among the first sanctions restrictions," TASS news agency quoted Lavrov as saying.

"The second package of sanctions was adopted when Iran refused to hold talks and was motivated by the UN Security Council's wish to convince Iran politically and economically to sit down at the negotiating table," he said.

The arms embargo was included in this package of sanctions, Lavrov said. "But the task of making Iran sit down at the negotiating table was accomplished a long time ago. We state that lifting arms embargo against Iran should take place as soon as possible," he said.

Iran has been consistently supporting the struggle against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and eliminating this threat, Lavrov said.

"Lifting the arms embargo will allow Iran to increase its defence capability in the fight against terrorism," he said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has compared the final round of the ongoing talks between representatives from Iran and the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the US, plus Germany -- over Tehran's nuclear energy programme to the last and hardest stage of ascending Mount Everest.

"We are working together with colleagues from P5+1 group on proposals made by Iran on Tuesday. This work is hard and time-consuming. We did not meet the July 7 deadline. Those are right who say that the talks are like ascending Mount Everest," Ryabkov said on Thursday.